Related Articles

Windows provides tools that allow you to scan your computer to determine whether it requires optimization, rearrange fragmented files to help it run more efficiently and clean the computer by deleting unnecessary files. By learning where to find these tools and how to best use them, you can help keep all of the computers in your organization running quickly, efficiently and at its peak performance level so that you and your staff or colleagues can work more effectively.

Analyze and Defragment

1.

Move the mouse pointer to the bottom or top of the right side of the screen to open the Charm menu. Select the "Search" icon to open the Search menu.

2.

Search "defragment" and select "Defragment and Optimize Your Drives."

3.

Choose the drive you want to scan and click "Analyze."

4.

Click "Defragment Disk" to defragment your hard drive. This may take several minutes or a few hours to complete, but you can still use the computer during the process.

Disk Cleanup

1.

Move the mouse pointer to the bottom or top of the right side of the screen to open the Charm menu. Select the "Search" icon to open the Search menu. Search "disk cleanup," select "Settings" and click "Free Up Disk Space by Deleting Unnecessary Files."

2.

Choose the drive you want to clean and click "OK." Select "Clean Up System Files" and click "Yes" or enter your password if a user account control prompt appears.

3.

Select the "Disk Cleanup" tab of the dialog box. Select the check boxes for the types of files you want to remove and click "OK."

4.

Click "Delete Files" to confirm that you want to remove the files found.

References (2)

About the Author

Tricia Goss' credits include Fitness Plus, Good News Tucson and Layover Magazine. She is certified in Microsoft application and served as the newsletter editor for OfficeUsers.org. She has also contributed to The Dollar Stretcher, Life Tips and Childcare Magazine.

Photo Credits

Pixland/Pixland/Getty Images

bibliography-iconicon for annotation tool Cite this Article

Choose Citation Style

Goss, Tricia. "How to Scan and Clean Computers and Remove Fragments With Microsoft." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/scan-clean-computers-remove-fragments-microsoft-68116.html. Accessed 14 September 2019.

Goss, Tricia. (n.d.). How to Scan and Clean Computers and Remove Fragments With Microsoft. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/scan-clean-computers-remove-fragments-microsoft-68116.html